Basic Spanish for the Camino (Part 1)

When walking the Camino you’ll find people from all over the world, and often English is used as the common tongue. However, as we saw in a previous post on the official statistics from the Cathedral in 2014, still 48% of pilgrims are Spanish. Along with dealing with shopkeepers, taxis and greeting friendly locals, it’s well worth learning Spanish before you go!

In this series well will cover the basics of Spanish for an absolute beginner, starting from common greetings, moving to basic grammar and finishing with links for those who want to study more!

¿Cómo está? = How are you? [polite, when meeting someone for the first time]
¿Cómo estás? = How are you? [informal, when you have met someone before]
¿Dónde está el baño? = Where is the bathroom?
¿Dónde está el albergue? = Where is the albergue [hostel]?
¿Habla inglés? = Do you speak English?
¿Cuánto cuesta? = How much does it cost?